The Ber months are here – remittances are flowing, malls are playing Christmas songs, and the peso... is still trying to find its footing. It’s usually the season when money from overseas gives the peso a nice lift. But this year, the currency’s been a bit shaky. For families who rely on remittances, it’s worth thinking about when to convert dollars into pesos – because timing could make all the difference.

Here’s what else shaped this month:

1. Peso Slips — Its Biggest Weekly Drop Since August
   The peso weakened for a fourth straight day in September, sliding to 58.21 pesos per USD — its sharpest weekly fall in nearly two months. Analysts point to worries over government finances and politics.
   
   
2. Jobless Rate Rises to 5.3% — Highest Since 2022
   Unemployment climbed to 5.3% in July, or about 2.59 million Filipinos out of work — the highest in around three years. That means stiffer job competition, especially fresh grads and young workers. With more people tightening their belts, slower household spending could ripple through retail, dining, and transport sectors.
   
   
3. Blockchain Pitched to Government — Transparency Goes Tech
   With the recent events around the usage of government funds, different voices within the government such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Sen. Bam Aquino have proposed exploring blockchain to make government budgets and spending more transparent.
   
   How does it work? Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger where transactions are recorded in “blocks” and linked sequentially so each block refers to the previous one — you can think of it as a bunch of interconnected receipts. The idea is to track every peso digitally to reduce corruption and improve accountability since once a record is added, it’s very difficult to alter or erase without the consensus of the network.
   
   It can also help monitor how projects move forward and add transparency to how contracts and bids are awarded. Still, many on social media remain cautious and remind the public to further understand the technology before taking a stance on this proposal. Blockchain may provide tools for better transparency, but it’s not a magic wand. The human elements of who writes the data, how validation happens, and how oversight is enforced still matter.
   
   

Now here’s what this means for us:

1. If you’re receiving money from abroad, a weaker peso means more pesos for every dollar you convert — but it also makes imported goods like fuel, gadgets, and groceries pricier. With the holiday season coming, expect the inflow of remittances to affect this as our loved ones send us money for gifts and holiday spending.
   
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2. If you’re job-hunting, this might be the time to upskill or explore a side hustle. For breadwinners and those navigating adulting, it’s a reminder to stretch budgets and save where possible. Take a moment to check on your emergency fund and keep building where you can — even small progress adds up. When jobs are harder to find, mindful spending habits make a big difference. Beyond our everyday lives, rising unemployment can weaken consumer demand, which is why it’s one of the key indicators policymakers keep a close eye on. If it starts to weigh the economy, they may respond by stimulating spending or supporting job creation.
   
   
3. More transparency in government spending benefits everyone. Beyond governance, it could also help make cryptocurrency and digital finance more mainstream. Blockchain — the same technology behind Bitcoin and Ethereum — could become easier to understand once people see it in action within public systems. As the government participates in the digital economy, it can spark more informed discussions across different sectors, improve financial literacy, and encourage clearer rules and compliance for safer participation. Over time, this could open doors for faster, more secure remittances and investments through regulated crypto platforms.
   
   

So what’s the takeaway?

A weaker peso, rising unemployment, and big changes in tech all point to one thing: it pays to stay proactive. Time remittances wisely, keep your skills sharp, and stay curious about digital finance — because these shifts can open new doors for income, investment, and inclusion. The ber months remind us to stay up to date with the economy as it will help us make smart choices that can make a meaningful difference.

Key Terms Explained

• Blockchain: Like a shared digital notebook, it records transactions securely so everyone can see them, but no one can easily change them. Each record (or “block”) is linked (or “chained”) to the one before it, earning its name. It’s mainly used to keep track of digital money like Bitcoin, but it can also be used for other records such as contracts or asset ownership.